Poole, United Kingdom – June, 2024 – The International SeaKeepers Society (SeaKeepers), a global non-profit organisation that facilitates oceanographic research, conservation, and education, hosted their inaugural Educational Outreach through their United Kingdom Office in partnership with Pip Hare Ocean Racing, Vendee Globe competitor and International Yachtswoman, with support from Poole Quay Boat Haven, The Watersports Academy and students from Durlston School.
Championing ocean conservation through education is a key aspect of SeaKeepers’ DISCOVERY Yacht Program. By offering free educational opportunities to students through both online resources and in-person experiences, SeaKeepers provides a fun and interactive way of engaging the next generation in marine science while increasing their awareness of critical ocean issues. Through their Educational Outreach programme and collaborations with local partners and industry experts, SeaKeepers inspires students to become future ocean stewards, pursuing their mission to research, educate, protect and restore the global oceans.
SeaKeepers UK Office partnered with Pip Hare Ocean Racing to host their first Educational Outreach in Poole Harbour. This two-module session began by introducing students from Durlston School, an independent prep and senior school, to the local marine environment aboard DISCOVERY Yacht Castello, and followed up with a classroom lesson exploring the Deep Ocean and the adaptations of the unique species that live within. These topics highlighted the importance of both environmental and personal resilience, inspiring the students to take positive action in their lives.
During the on-water session on June 13th, students explored Poole Harbour to learn more about the vulnerable species and habitats present here. They also discussed maritime industries, marine pollution, and the global significance of Poole Harbour’s seagrass meadows in climate change mitigation.
Pip Hare Ocean Racing shared inspirational stories about Pip’s journey to becoming a successful global ocean racing yachtswoman and emphasised the importance of “doing it differently” when trying to achieve your goals. With Pip completing the New York Vendee race in 9th place the day before, Durlston School’s students had the unique opportunity to ask questions about Pip’s experiences aboard her vessel Medallia, the challenges she faced throughout the race, and how she used her resilience to overcome these to succeed. By ending this session with a discussion about how we can better protect our oceans, the students were empowered to make simple lifestyle changes to reduce their impact on the marine environment and take a proactive stance in protecting the natural world.
The classroom session on June 28th expanded the focus to explore a largely understudied habitat: The Deep Ocean. Using their novel lesson plan, created in partnership with Pip Hare Ocean Racing, SeaKeepers introduced the students to the challenges faced by organisms that live within this extreme habitat, and how species have uniquely adapted to thrive where others could not. By highlighting enigmatic species, students learnt about the importance of being adaptable in order to survive and thrive in the face of adversity. Taking inspiration from images of these real-world creatures created by marine science communicator Georgia Wells, the students designed and created their own Deep Ocean organisms, reinforcing their understanding of adaptations and why it is important for us to protect marine habitats, whether we can see them in-person or not.
Collectively this two-part Educational Outreach Event expanded Durlston School’s students' knowledge of both the local marine environment and more remote habitats, while challenging them to think outside the norm to become better ocean stewards. By emphasising the theme of resilience throughout, students were encouraged to make parallels between the challenges faced by organisms in the marine environment and those they face daily, to make more empowered choices.
SeaKeepers, Pip Hare Ocean Racing, and supporters Poole Quay Boat Haven and The Watersports Academy, provided an unforgettable educational experience for Durlston School’s students.
ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL SEAKEEPERS SOCIETY
The International SeaKeepers Society is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that facilitates oceanographic research, conservation, and education through direct involvement with the yachting community. Providing educational resources and hands-on marine science experiences to students is the primary focus for ensuring the well-being of our planet. SeaKeepers enables the yachting community to take full advantage of their unique potential to advance marine sciences and raise awareness about global ocean issues.
Founded in Monaco in 1998, The International SeaKeepers Society has been supporting ocean conservation through direct involvement with the yachting community for twenty-five years. What started as a data collection program aboard select luxury yachts, has evolved to engage thousands of participants annually with at-sea and coastal programming. Today SeaKeepers’ mission is focused on the DISCOVERY Yacht Program which is comprised of Scientist-Led Expeditions, Citizen Science, Educational Outreach, and Community Engagement.
SeaKeepers is a catalyst working with governments, scientists, institutions, and other marine organizations to further its mission and support sensible, achievable marine protection and restoration. Activities take place globally through the efforts of headquarters based in the United States with offices located on the East and West coast, and international representation in Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the South Pacific.
VISIT WEBSITE - SeaKeepers.org
VISIT WEBSITE - SeaKeepers.org/UK
ABOUT PIP HARE OCEAN RACING
Pip Hare is the skipper and CEO of Pip Hare Ocean Racing, and the 8th woman in the world to finish the Vendee Globe Race. Pip runs an elite, ocean racing team from her base in Poole and is currently on track to compete in the 2024 Vendee Globe race. Pip’s long career has seen her achieve numerous podiums in offshore racing, set an outright world record and set two world firsts in her disciplines of endurance sport. Pip’s time at sea has given her a unique insight on resilience and problem solving, which she shares with corporate audiences internationally.
VISIT WEBSITE - Pip Hare Ocean Racing